---
name: apa-style-citation
description: |
  Generate, format, and validate academic citations following APA 7th Edition (2019) guidelines.
  Use when user requests: citations, reference lists, bibliographies, in-text citations, or mentions
  "APA style", "APA format", "APA 7", "cite this", "reference list", academic references, or
  scholarly sources. Handles all source types: books, journals, websites, AI tools, social media,
  videos, podcasts, government documents, and edge cases. Can check/correct existing citations
  and generate complete reference lists from research materials.
---

# APA Style Citation

Generate and validate citations following APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition (2019).

## Capabilities

- Generate in-text citations (parenthetical and narrative)
- Create formatted reference list entries for any source type
- Check existing citations for errors and correct them
- Build complete reference lists from research materials
- Handle modern sources: AI tools, social media, streaming content
- Apply edge case rules: missing info, secondary sources, translations

## In-Text Citation Rules

### Author-Date Format

| Authors | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---------|---------------|-----------|
| 1 | (Smith, 2023) | Smith (2023) |
| 2 | (Smith & Jones, 2023) | Smith and Jones (2023) |
| 3+ | (Smith et al., 2023) | Smith et al. (2023) |
| Group (first) | (American Psychological Association [APA], 2019) | American Psychological Association (APA, 2019) |
| Group (subsequent) | (APA, 2019) | APA (2019) |
| No author | ("Article Title," 2023) | "Article Title" (2023) |

**Key rules:**
- Use `&` in parenthetical, spell out "and" in narrative
- Use `et al.` from FIRST citation for 3+ authors (changed from 6th ed.)
- Period goes AFTER parenthetical citation: `...end of sentence (Smith, 2023).`

### Direct Quotations

Always include locator for direct quotes:
- Page: `(Smith, 2023, p. 45)` or `(Smith, 2023, pp. 45-47)`
- Paragraph: `(Smith, 2023, para. 4)`
- Section: `(Smith, 2023, Methods section)`
- Timestamp: `(Smith, 2023, 2:15)`
- Classical: `(Shakespeare, 1623/2003, 1.5.45-60)`

### Block Quotations (40+ words)

- Indent entire block 0.5 inches
- No quotation marks
- Period BEFORE citation: `...end of quote. (Smith, 2023, p. 45)`

### Multiple Sources

Alphabetize, separate with semicolons:
```
(Adams, 2020; Chen, 2019; Williams, 2021)
```

Same author, multiple years:
```
(Smith, 2019, 2021, 2023)
```

Same author, same year (alphabetize by title in reference list):
```
(Smith, 2023a, 2023b)
```

## Reference List Format

### Core Structure

Every reference has four elements:
1. **Author** - Who created it
2. **Date** - When published (Year) or (Year, Month Day)
3. **Title** - What it's called
4. **Source** - Where to find it (publisher, URL, DOI)

### Formatting Rules

- Heading: **References** (bold, centered)
- Double-spaced throughout
- Hanging indent: 0.5 inches
- Alphabetize by first author's surname
- No period after DOI or URL

### DOI Format

Use hyperlink format: `https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx`

**NOT:** `doi:10.xxxx` or `DOI: 10.xxxx`

### Common Source Types

#### Journal Article
```
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case.
    *Journal Name in Title Case, Volume*(Issue), Page-Page.
    https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
```

#### Book
```
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of book in sentence case*. Publisher.
```

#### Book Chapter
```
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), *Title of book*
    (pp. xx-xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
```

#### Website
```
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. https://url
```
Omit site name if same as author.

#### AI Tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
```
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model].
    https://chat.openai.com/chat

Anthropic. (2024). Claude (3.5 Sonnet version) [Large language model].
    https://claude.ai
```
Include prompt and response in appendix. Note: AI output not replicable.

#### Social Media

**X/Twitter:**
```
Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Content up to 20 words
    [Tweet]. X. https://twitter.com/username/status/xxxxx
```

**YouTube:**
```
Uploader Name. (Year, Month Day). *Title of video* [Video]. YouTube.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxx
```

**Podcast Episode:**
```
Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. xx) [Audio
    podcast episode]. In *Podcast Title*. Producer. https://url
```

For all source type formats, see [references/source-types.md](references/source-types.md).

## Handling Missing Information

| Missing | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| No date | Use `(n.d.)` |
| No author | Move title to author position |
| No title | Use `[Description of work]` in brackets |
| No page numbers | Use para., section, timestamp |
| No DOI, from database | Omit URL entirely |
| No DOI, from web | Include direct URL |

## Edge Cases Quick Reference

**Secondary sources** (citing a source you found in another source):
- In-text: `(Rabbitt, 1982, as cited in Lyon et al., 2014)`
- Reference list: Only include Lyon (the source you read)

**Personal communications** (emails, interviews, conversations):
- In-text only: `(J. Smith, personal communication, January 15, 2023)`
- NOT in reference list (not recoverable)

**Translated works:**
```
Freud, S. (1961). *The ego and the id* (J. Strachey, Trans.). W. W. Norton.
    (Original work published 1923)
```
In-text: `(Freud, 1923/1961)`

**Retracted articles:**
```
Author, A. A. (Year). Title. *Journal, Volume*(Issue), Pages.
    https://doi.org/xxxxx (Retraction published Year, *Journal, Volume*, Page)
```

For comprehensive edge case guidance, see [references/edge-cases.md](references/edge-cases.md).

## Common Errors to Avoid

1. **"&" vs. "and"** - Use & only in parenthetical citations
2. **Period placement** - Period after citation, not before
3. **DOI format** - Must be `https://doi.org/` not `doi:`
4. **Title capitalization** - Sentence case for articles/books, Title Case for journals
5. **et al. usage** - Use from first citation for 3+ authors
6. **Issue number italics** - Only volume is italic: *12*(3)
7. **Missing page numbers** - Required for all direct quotes
8. **Retrieved from** - Omit unless retrieval date included
9. **Publisher location** - Not required in APA 7th
10. **Database URLs** - Omit for common databases (JSTOR, ProQuest)

For complete error checklist, see [references/common-errors.md](references/common-errors.md).

## Workflow: Checking Citations

When asked to check/correct citations:

1. **Identify format issues** - DOI format, capitalization, punctuation
2. **Verify completeness** - All four elements present
3. **Check in-text/reference correspondence** - Every citation has reference entry
4. **Apply source-specific rules** - Correct format for source type
5. **Flag uncertainties** - Note if information appears incomplete

## Workflow: Creating Reference List

When asked to create a reference list from sources:

1. **Identify source type** for each item
2. **Extract four elements** - Author, Date, Title, Source
3. **Apply correct format** per source type
4. **Alphabetize** by first author surname
5. **Format with hanging indent** (note in output)
6. **Generate matching in-text citations** if requested

## Examples

### Example 1: Format a journal article

**Input:** "Cite this: Article by Sarah Chen and Michael Park in Journal of Psychology, volume 45, issue 3, pages 112-128, published 2023, DOI 10.1037/psych.2023.045"

**Output:**
Reference:
```
Chen, S., & Park, M. (2023). [Article title needed]. *Journal of Psychology,
    45*(3), 112-128. https://doi.org/10.1037/psych.2023.045
```
In-text: (Chen & Park, 2023)

Note: Article title needed to complete reference.

### Example 2: Correct a citation

**Input:** "Fix this: (Smith, John, 2020, p.15)"

**Output:**
Corrected: (Smith, 2020, p. 15)

Issues fixed:
- Removed first name (use last name only)
- Added space after "p."

### Example 3: Cite AI-generated content

**Input:** "How do I cite something Claude told me?"

**Output:**
Reference:
```
Anthropic. (2024). Claude (3.5 Sonnet version) [Large language model].
    https://claude.ai
```
In-text: (Anthropic, 2024)

Requirements:
- Include full prompt and response in appendix
- Note in text that AI output cannot be replicated exactly
- Verify any factual claims independently


---
Source attribution: romanmesicek
Original project: https://github.com/romanmesicek/agent-skills/blob/f8a62a4018a77356f55cb7f0ad8b771bf674a9ba/apa-style-citation/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Roman Mesicek

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: romanmesicek
Original project: https://github.com/romanmesicek/agent-skills/blob/f8a62a4018a77356f55cb7f0ad8b771bf674a9ba/apa-style-citation/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Recovered original package and original project license at a pinned revision

Fields of work: Content & Media, Education & Research
Roles: Academic Writer, Copywriter, Researcher
Specialties: Specialty not specified
Tools: Tool not specified
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: b12a2aa54c4c97b5bd6d5bb72904503288e5d57e150f88206693dd8c91263aa7
Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27
This metadata supersedes earlier Dave AI catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.